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Edgar Vhera Agriculture Specialist Writer
AFTER successfully setting up oil expressing equipment, the country has now set its sights on increasing oil seed production to curtail imports with soya bean product imports declining 24 percent in the first half of this year compared to the corresponding period last year.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) show that the country imported soya bean products worth US$113 826 466 between the period January to June this year against US$150 376 946 during the comparable period last year.
Imported soya bean products include: seed, crude oil and refined soya bean oil and fractions.
Oil Expressers Association of Zimbabwe chairman, Mr Busisa Moyo yesterday hinted that the country had successfully localised cooking oil production with raw materials from both local and foreign markets.
“The country has successfully localised all cooking oil production but of concern to industrialists is the source of raw materials, which are being imported. Now our focus is on ensuring that we increase local supply of raw materials to put into the value chain,” said Mr Moyo.
Mr Moyo said they were pushing in the direction of increasing production of soya bean to lessen imports.
“Our members are set to increase soya bean production this coming season but I am not privy to their hectarage. United Refineries Limited (URL) will increase its area from last season’s 5 000 to 10 000 hectares. The country produced 75 000 tonnes of soya bean in the 2022/23 season up from 60 000 tonnes last season,” he said.
At last year’s World Cotton Day, Mr Moyo revealed that the country had eight oil expressing companies that were fighting to share the small local soya bean cake only funded by a few.
Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX) recently introduced soya bean trading on its weekly auction but last week it was not available on the platform after merchants bought all the delivered quantities.
Food Crop Contractors Association (FCCA) chairperson Mr Graeme Murdoch concurred that increased soya bean output last season had contributed to the reduction in imports.
“Last season’s soya been output was larger than that of previous years though it still falls short of meeting national annual requirements. Our members planted a little over 30 000ha last season thereby eclipsing the pre-season target by 10 percent. For the 2023/24 season FCCA members are targeting to plant between 30 000 and 35 000 hectares of soya bean while 20 000ha are expected from self-funded crop” the FCCA chair observed.
According to the final crop, livestock and fisheries assessment (CLAFA 2) report, the area under soya bean rose from 51 488 hectares in the 2021/22 season to 55 944ha in the last season.
The jump in hectarage is expected to increase production and reduce the country’s import bill.
Soya bean is a strategic crop and a raw material for oil expressing, stockfeed manufacturing and food industries.
The country requires about 240 000 tonnes of soya bean per annum for cooking oil and stockfeed manufacturing. Industry has installed an oil crushing capacity of about 460 000 tonnes.
The growth of the livestock industry, especially poultry, piggery and fish plus the change in people’s eating habits with an increasing number preferring white over red meat, has driven the demand for soya beans.
The Government has called on local industries to fund at least 40 percent of their raw material requirements through increased local production to curtail the exporting of jobs and expenditure on foreign currency payments from cooking oil imports.
Online Reporter